Drunk driver sentenced to 7 years and 10 months for killing one and injuring three in southern Taiwan

南台灣酒駕造成1死3傷，判7年10個月

After speeding and running red lights, driver strikes a family of pedestrians, killing the mother


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The drunk driver who plowed his car into a family of four crossing a street in Kaohsiung City on Dec. 26 last year, killing one and injuring three, was sentenced by the Kaohsiung District Court to seven years and 10 months in prison on Friday (July 1).

The incident on Dec. 26 was the third time the 38-year-old driver, Huang Tzu-yang (黃子洋), had been caught driving drunk. After Huang got in his car, he sped and ran red lights before he struck a family of four with his vehicle near the Love River, CNA reported.

The mother of the family, surnamed Fan (范), died of her injuries, while her husband, surnamed Lin (林), and two daughters were severely injured.

A breathalyzer test after the accident revealed Huang's blood-alcohol level was 1.24 milligrams per liter, about five times the legal limit.

Huang had previously committed drunk driving offenses in 2006 and 2009. Both cases involved collisions with other vehicles that resulted in damage but no people were injured, according to police.

After the Dec. 26 accident, Huang was charged with homicide, and Lin hoped publicly that the court would sentence Huang to death.

According to Article 185-3 of Taiwan’s Criminal Code, if a driving under the influence (DUI) incident results in death, “the offender shall be sentenced to imprisonment for not less than three years but less than ten years, and in addition, thereto, a fine of not more than two million New Taiwan Dollars may be imposed.”